Russia Banned Foreign Messenger Apps from Government Orgs
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The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has banned apps like WhatsApp, Skype for Business, Teams, etc. for state employees` communication.
From March 1st, 2023, as a consequence of a law signed by Russian president Vladimir Putin in December 2022. The law prevents the use of foreign messenger platforms for people who work for state services or fulfill government orders.
The law is a precautionary measure against potential sensitive data leakage to foreign entities. Below the list of foreign-based apps that Russia considers not to be trustworthy:
- Microsoft Teams
- Discord
- Telegram
- Threema
- Viber
- Skype for Business
- Snapchat
The encrypted messaging app ”Signal” and the worldwide famous videoconferencing app ”Zoom” are not on the blacklist for now.
Russia did try lately to reduce the usage of foreign software in critical sectors. Its goal is to minimize the risk that sensitive data is leaked to foreign intelligence services.
Several of the most appreciated VPN products were banned in Russia earlier in 2020.
